Configuring ItemPick for Bin-Picking¶

This tutorial shows how to configure the ItemPick component to work in a bin-picking application. More specifically, the bin (or so-called Load Carrier) is configured in ItemPick and detected in the scene, in order to compute grasps only for items inside the bin itself.

The tutorial covers all the steps from configuration of a load carrier up to getting grasps for items inside the load carrier. For this, we will call the offered ItemPick services using the rc_visard’s REST-API interface. This can be done in Swagger UI, in command lines or scripts using curl, and programmatically using a client library (e.g. from a robot controller). Here we focus on the first two options.

Before we start¶

This tutorials assumes that the previous tutorial Getting started with ItemPick has been completed.

In order to go through this tutorial, a bin or so-called load carrier should be available. Some samples of load carriers that can be used with ItemPick are shown below. The upper limit for the load carrier dimensions is 1.3 m x 0.9 m x 1.0 m.

Fig. 19 Different models of load carriers.

Setting up the scene¶

The load carrier should be placed in the field of view of the sensor. Optimally, the sensor should have a clear view onto all objects in the bin without any occlusion by its walls – as shown in the sample setup below.

Fig. 20 Sample setup. The rc_visard 160 is mounted on static support above the load carrier, approximately 1.15 m away from the bin.

The placement should also ensure that the rim of of the load carrier is visible in the depth image. Occlusions of the rim are acceptable, as long as all edges are at least partially visible. If this is not the case, one can follow the recommendations for tuning camera and image parameters.

Configuring the load carrier¶

The easiest and recommended way configure a load carrier is using the Load Carriers section of the Web GUI’s ItemPick panel. However, in this tutorial we also introduce the programatic interface of ItemPick which offers three services for managing load carriers via the rc_visard’s REST-API interface:

In this section we show how to configure two different types of load carriers including some code examples.

Load carriers with a continuous rim (type 1)¶

The first model is the load carrier at the top left corner of Fig. 19. It will be configured in the ItemPick component with the unique id my-load-carrier1. The manufacturer’s website reports the following dimensions:

• Outer dimensions: 40 x 30 x 22 cm
• Inner dimensions: 37 x 27 x 21.5 cm

These values can be directly entered in the Load Carriers configuration panel of the Web GUI, with the only difference that the values need to be converted to meters.

REST-API request for configuring my-load-carrier1

To trigger the set_load_carrier service via the REST-API for my-load-carrier1, one needs to send a PUT request to the URL http://<rc-visard-ip>/api/v1/nodes/rc_itempick/services/set_load_carrier, where <rc-visard-ip> should be replaced by the actual IP of the rc_visard.

The PUT body should include the following data, in JSON:

{
"args": {
"outer_dimensions": {
"x": 0.4,
"y": 0.3,
"z": 0.22
},
"inner_dimensions": {
"x": 0.37,
"y": 0.27,
"z": 0.215
}
}
}
}

1. The Swagger UI for putting a service request is located at http://<rc_visard_ip>/api/swagger/index.html#!/nodes/put_nodes_node_services_service, where <rc-visard-ip> should be replaced by the actual IP of the rc_visard.

2. The following values are required to fill the request to the REST-API:

• node rc_itempick

• service set_load_carrier

• service args
{
"args": {
"outer_dimensions": {
"x": 0.4,
"y": 0.3,
"z": 0.22
},
"inner_dimensions": {
"x": 0.37,
"y": 0.27,
"z": 0.215
}
}
}
}


The following command assumes that the variable RC_VISARD_IP is set to the actual IP of the rc_visard (e.g. RC_VISARD_IP=10.0.2.90).

curl -X PUT "http://$RC_VISARD_IP/api/v1/nodes/rc_itempick/services/set_load_carrier" -H "accept: application/json" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d \ "{ \ \"args\": { \ \"load_carrier\": { \ \"id\": \"my-load-carrier1\", \ \"outer_dimensions\": { \ \"x\": 0.4, \ \"y\": 0.3, \ \"z\": 0.22 \ }, \ \"inner_dimensions\": { \ \"x\": 0.37, \ \"y\": 0.27, \ \"z\": 0.215 \ } \ } \ } \ }"  The following command assumes that the variable RC_VISARD_IP is set to the actual IP of the rc_visard (e.g. set RC_VISARD_IP=10.0.2.90) and the curl command is in the path. curl.exe -X PUT "http://%RC_VISARD_IP%/api/v1/nodes/rc_itempick/services/set_load_carrier" -H "accept: application/json" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d ^ "{ ^ \"args\": { ^ \"load_carrier\": { ^ \"id\": \"my-load-carrier1\", ^ \"outer_dimensions\": { ^ \"x\": 0.4, ^ \"y\": 0.3, ^ \"z\": 0.22 ^ }, ^ \"inner_dimensions\": { ^ \"x\": 0.37, ^ \"y\": 0.27, ^ \"z\": 0.215 ^ } ^ } ^ } ^ }"  The following command assumes that the variable RC_VISARD_IP is set to the actual IP of the rc_visard (e.g. $RC_VISARD_IP="10.0.2.90").

Invoke-RestMethod "http://$RC_VISARD_IP/api/v1/nodes/rc_itempick/services/set_load_carrier" -ContentType 'application/json' -Method Put -Body ' { "args": { "load_carrier": { "id": "my-load-carrier1", "outer_dimensions": { "x": 0.4, "y": 0.3, "z": 0.22 }, "inner_dimensions": { "x": 0.37, "y": 0.27, "z": 0.215 } } } }' | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 6  Load carriers with a stepped rim (type 2)¶ The second model is the load carrier at the top right corner of Fig. 19. This load carrier will be configured in the ItemPick component with the unique id my-load-carrier2. The manufacturer’s website reports the following dimensions: • Outer dimensions: 30 x 20 x 14.7 cm • Inner dimensions: 24.3 x 16.2 x 12.95 cm In this model, the top load carrier rim is thinner than the actual difference between outer and inner dimensions. For this reason, we additionally need to specify the thickness values, which is approximately 0.013 m in both directions. If not specified, the rim thickness is automatically computed from the difference between outer and inner dimensions, as it was the case for my-load-carrier1. REST-API request for configuring my-load-carrier2 To trigger the set_load_carrier service via the REST-API for my-load-carrier2, one needs to send a PUT request to the URL http://<rc-visard-ip>/api/v1/nodes/rc_itempick/services/set_load_carrier, where <rc-visard-ip> should be replaced by the actual IP of the rc_visard. The PUT body should include the following data, in JSON: { "args": { "load_carrier": { "id": "my-load-carrier2", "outer_dimensions": { "x": 0.3, "y": 0.2, "z": 0.147 }, "inner_dimensions": { "x": 0.243, "y": 0.162, "z": 0.1295 }, "rim_thickness": { "x": 0.013, "y": 0.013 } } } }  1. The Swagger UI for putting a service request is located at http://<rc_visard_ip>/api/swagger/index.html#!/nodes/put_nodes_node_services_service, where <rc-visard-ip> should be replaced by the actual IP of the rc_visard. 2. The following values are required to fill the request to the REST-API: • node rc_itempick • service set_load_carrier • service args { "args": { "load_carrier": { "id": "my-load-carrier2", "outer_dimensions": { "x": 0.3, "y": 0.2, "z": 0.147 }, "inner_dimensions": { "x": 0.243, "y": 0.162, "z": 0.1295 }, "rim_thickness": { "x": 0.013, "y": 0.013 } } } }  The following command assumes that the variable RC_VISARD_IP is set to the actual IP of the rc_visard (e.g. RC_VISARD_IP=10.0.2.90). curl -X PUT "http://$RC_VISARD_IP/api/v1/nodes/rc_itempick/services/set_load_carrier" -H  "accept: application/json" -H  "Content-Type: application/json" -d \
"{ \
\"args\": { \
\"outer_dimensions\": { \
\"x\": 0.3, \
\"y\": 0.2, \
\"z\": 0.147 \
}, \
\"inner_dimensions\": { \
\"x\": 0.243, \
\"y\": 0.162, \
\"z\": 0.1295 \
}, \
\"rim_thickness\": { \
\"x\": 0.013, \
\"y\": 0.013 \
} \
} \
} \
}"


The following command assumes that the variable RC_VISARD_IP is set to the actual IP of the rc_visard (e.g. set RC_VISARD_IP=10.0.2.90) and the curl command is in the path.

curl.exe -X PUT "http://%RC_VISARD_IP%/api/v1/nodes/rc_itempick/services/set_load_carrier" -H  "accept: application/json" -H  "Content-Type: application/json" -d ^
"{ ^
\"args\": { ^
\"outer_dimensions\": { ^
\"x\": 0.3, ^
\"y\": 0.2, ^
\"z\": 0.147 ^
}, ^
\"inner_dimensions\": { ^
\"x\": 0.243, ^
\"y\": 0.162, ^
\"z\": 0.1295 ^
}, ^
\"rim_thickness\": { ^
\"x\": 0.013, ^
\"y\": 0.013 ^
} ^
} ^
} ^
}"


The following command assumes that the variable RC_VISARD_IP is set to the actual IP of the rc_visard (e.g. $RC_VISARD_IP="10.0.2.90"). Invoke-RestMethod "http://$RC_VISARD_IP/api/v1/nodes/rc_itempick/services/set_load_carrier" -ContentType 'application/json' -Method Put -Body '
{
"args": {
"outer_dimensions": {
"x": 0.3,
"y": 0.2,
"z": 0.147
},
"inner_dimensions": {
"x": 0.243,
"y": 0.162,
"z": 0.1295
},
"rim_thickness": {
"x": 0.013,
"y": 0.013
}
}
}
}' | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 6


Note

Making a set_load_carrier request with an existing load_carrier_id will overwrite the load carrier model previously stored.

Detecting the load carrier¶

After the load carrier has been configured, it is important to check that ItemPick can detect the load carrier in the scene. The Web GUI’s ItemPick panel offers a Try Out section for this purpose. One simply needs to specifiy the respective load carrier id and hit the Detect button. As for the REST-API, ItemPick offers a detect_load_carriers service to trigger such detections.

REST-API request for detecting my-load-carrier1

To trigger the detect_load_carriers service via the REST-API, one needs to send a PUT request to the URL http://<rc-visard-ip>/api/v1/nodes/rc_itempick/services/detect_load_carriers, where <rc-visard-ip> should be replaced by the actual IP of the rc_visard.

The PUT body should include the following data, in JSON:

{
"args": {
"pose_frame": "camera",
]
}
}

1. The Swagger UI for putting a service request is located at http://<rc_visard_ip>/api/swagger/index.html#!/nodes/put_nodes_node_services_service, where <rc-visard-ip> should be replaced by the actual IP of the rc_visard.

2. The following values are required to fill the request to the REST-API:

• node rc_itempick

• service detect_load_carriers

• service args
{
"args": {
"pose_frame": "camera",
]
}
}


The following command assumes that the variable RC_VISARD_IP is set to the actual IP of the rc_visard (e.g. RC_VISARD_IP=10.0.2.90).

curl -X PUT "http://$RC_VISARD_IP/api/v1/nodes/rc_itempick/services/detect_load_carriers" -H "accept: application/json" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d \ "{ \ \"args\": { \ \"pose_frame\": \"camera\", \ \"load_carrier_ids\": [ \ \"my-load-carrier1\" \ ] \ } \ }"  The following command assumes that the variable RC_VISARD_IP is set to the actual IP of the rc_visard (e.g. set "RC_VISARD_IP=10.0.2.90") and the curl command is in the path. curl.exe -X PUT "http://%RC_VISARD_IP%/api/v1/nodes/rc_itempick/services/detect_load_carriers" -H "accept: application/json" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d ^ "{ ^ \"args\": { ^ \"pose_frame\": \"camera\", ^ \"load_carrier_ids\": [ ^ \"my-load-carrier1\" ^ ] ^ } ^ }"  The following command assumes that the variable RC_VISARD_IP is set to the actual IP of the rc_visard (e.g. $RC_VISARD_IP="10.0.2.90").

Invoke-RestMethod "http://$RC_VISARD_IP/api/v1/nodes/rc_itempick/services/detect_load_carriers" -ContentType 'application/json' -Method Put -Body ' { "args": { "pose_frame": "camera", "load_carrier_ids": [ "my-load-carrier1" ] } }' | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 6  Detection results – no matter whether triggered via Web GUI or REST-API – are visualized in the Web GUI’s ItemPick panel as Load Carriers image. Sample detection results for my-load-carrier1 and my-load-carrier2 are shown below. The detected load carrier is highlighted in blue, while its content is highlighted in red. Fig. 21 Detection result for my-load-carrier1 (left) and my-load-carrier2 (right). Note While the detect_load_carriers service supports a list of load_carrier_ids as input argument, the current implementation only accepts one load carrier id in the list. Note Users should avoid items sticking out of the bin. ItemPick has a threshold of approximately 10 cm above the load carrier rim to filter the load carrier content. Objects which stick out more than that are not considered for grasping, as shown below. Computing grasps inside a load carrier¶ Once the load carrier is configured and detectable in the scene, ItemPick can be used to compute grasps only for objects that are inside the bin. To this purpose, the additional argument load_carrier_id should be added to the request to the REST-API for the compute_grasps service. As explained before, this is also possible in the Try Out section of the Web GUI’s ItemPick panel. Request to the REST-API for getting grasps inside my-load-carrier1 To trigger the compute_grasp service via the REST-API, one needs to send a PUT request to the URL http://<rc-visard-ip>/api/v1/nodes/rc_itempick/services/compute_grasp, where <rc-visard-ip> should be replaced by the actual IP of the rc_visard. The PUT body should include the following data, in JSON: { "args": { "pose_frame": "camera", "load_carrier_id": "my-load-carrier1", "suction_surface_length": 0.02, "suction_surface_width": 0.02 } }  1. The Swagger UI for putting a service request is located at http://<rc_visard_ip>/api/swagger/index.html#!/nodes/put_nodes_node_services_service, where <rc-visard-ip> should be replaced by the actual IP of the rc_visard. 2. The following values are required to fill the request to the REST-API: • node rc_itempick • service compute_grasps • service args { "args": { "pose_frame": "camera", "load_carrier_id": "my-load-carrier1", "suction_surface_length": 0.02, "suction_surface_width": 0.02 } }  The following command assumes that the variable RC_VISARD_IP is set to the actual IP of the rc_visard (e.g. RC_VISARD_IP=10.0.2.90). curl -X PUT "http://$RC_VISARD_IP/api/v1/nodes/rc_itempick/services/compute_grasps" -H  "accept: application/json" -H  "Content-Type: application/json" -d \
"{ \
\"args\": { \
\"pose_frame\": \"camera\", \
\"suction_surface_length\": 0.02, \
\"suction_surface_width\": 0.02 \
} \
}"


The following command assumes that the variable RC_VISARD_IP is set to the actual IP of the rc_visard (e.g. set RC_VISARD_IP=10.0.2.90) and the curl command is in the path.

curl.exe -X PUT "http://%RC_VISARD_IP%/api/v1/nodes/rc_itempick/services/compute_grasps" -H  "accept: application/json" -H  "Content-Type: application/json" -d ^
"{ ^
\"args\": { ^
\"pose_frame\": \"camera\", ^
\"suction_surface_length\": 0.02, ^
\"suction_surface_width\": 0.02 ^
} ^
}"


The following command assumes that the variable RC_VISARD_IP is set to the actual IP of the rc_visard (e.g. $RC_VISARD_IP="10.0.2.90"). Invoke-RestMethod "http://$RC_VISARD_IP/api/v1/nodes/rc_itempick/services/compute_grasps" -ContentType 'application/json' -Method Put -Body '
{
"args": {
"pose_frame": "camera",
"suction_surface_length": 0.02,
"suction_surface_width": 0.02
}
}' | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 6


Caution

Since ItemPick does not have any information about the end effector geometry, the computed grasps are not guaranteed to be collision free.

Computing grasps inside a compartment in the load carrier¶

In some cases it is desirable to select a compartment inside the load carrier and only get grasps for items inside this compartment. The compute_grasps service includes an optional argument load_carrier_compartment that can be used to this purpose.

Note

The load_carrier_compartment argument can not be specified in the Try Out section of Web GUI’s ItemPick panel.

The compartment is a box whose pose is defined with respect to the load carrier reference frame. In this section we show how to select the compartment in Fig. 23.

Fig. 23 Sample compartment inside a load carrier. The coordinate system shown in the image is the load carrier reference frame.

The compartment box dimensions are computed from the load carrier inner dimensions:

$\left(\frac{\text{inner_dimensions.x}}{2}, \text{inner_dimensions.y}, \text{inner_dimensions.z}\right)^T.$

The load carrier reference frame is located at the center of the load carrier outer box. To move from the load carrier reference frame to the compartment center, the following translation needs to be applied:

$\left(\frac{\text{inner_dimensions.x}}{4}, 0, \frac{\text{outer_dimensions.z}-\text{inner_dimensions.z}}{2}\right)^T.$

Since the compartment volume is intersected with the load carrier inner volume, the box $$z$$ dimension can also be set to the load carrier outer dimension, without applying any translation along $$z$$.

The code below shows how to place a compute_grasps request for items inside this compartment of my-load-carrier1.

To trigger the compute_grasp service via the REST-API, one needs to send a PUT request to the URL http://<rc-visard-ip>/api/v1/nodes/rc_itempick/services/compute_grasp, where <rc-visard-ip> should be replaced by the actual IP of the rc_visard.

The PUT body should include the following data, in JSON:

{
"args": {
"pose_frame": "camera",
"box": {
"x": 0.285,
"y": 0.37,
"z": 0.22
},
"pose": {
"position": {
"x": 0.1425,
"y": 0,
"z": 0
},
"orientation": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"z": 0,
"w": 1
}
}
},
"suction_surface_length": 0.02,
"suction_surface_width": 0.02
}
}

1. The Swagger UI for putting a service request is located at http://<rc_visard_ip>/api/swagger/index.html#!/nodes/put_nodes_node_services_service, where <rc-visard-ip> should be replaced by the actual IP of the rc_visard.

2. The following values are required to fill the request to the REST-API:

• node rc_itempick

• service compute_grasps

• service args
{
"args": {
"pose_frame": "camera",
"box": {
"x": 0.285,
"y": 0.37,
"z": 0.22
},
"pose": {
"position": {
"x": 0.1425,
"y": 0,
"z": 0
},
"orientation": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"z": 0,
"w": 1
}
}
},
"suction_surface_length": 0.02,
"suction_surface_width": 0.02
}
}


The following command assumes that the variable RC_VISARD_IP is set to the actual IP of the rc_visard (e.g. RC_VISARD_IP=10.0.2.90).

curl -X PUT "http://$RC_VISARD_IP/api/v1/nodes/rc_itempick/services/compute_grasps" -H "accept: application/json" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d \ "{ \ \"args\": { \ \"pose_frame\": \"camera\", \ \"load_carrier_id\": \"my-load-carrier1\", \ \"load_carrier_compartment\": { \ \"box\": { \ \"x\": 0.285, \ \"y\": 0.37, \ \"z\": 0.22 \ }, \ \"pose\": { \ \"position\": { \ \"x\": 0.1425, \ \"y\": 0, \ \"z\": 0 \ }, \ \"orientation\": { \ \"x\": 0, \ \"y\": 0, \ \"z\": 0, \ \"w\": 1 \ } \ } \ }, \ \"suction_surface_length\": 0.02, \ \"suction_surface_width\": 0.02 \ } \ }"  The following command assumes that the variable RC_VISARD_IP is set to the actual IP of the rc_visard (e.g. set RC_VISARD_IP=10.0.2.90) and the curl command is in the path. curl.exe -X PUT "http://%RC_VISARD_IP%/api/v1/nodes/rc_itempick/services/compute_grasps" -H "accept: application/json" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d ^ "{ ^ \"args\": { ^ \"pose_frame\": \"camera\", ^ \"load_carrier_id\": \"my-load-carrier1\", ^ \"load_carrier_compartment\": { ^ \"box\": { ^ \"x\": 0.285, ^ \"y\": 0.37, ^ \"z\": 0.22 ^ }, ^ \"pose\": { ^ \"position\": { ^ \"x\": 0.1425, ^ \"y\": 0, ^ \"z\": 0 ^ }, ^ \"orientation\": { ^ \"x\": 0, ^ \"y\": 0, ^ \"z\": 0, ^ \"w\": 1 ^ } ^ } ^ }, ^ \"suction_surface_length\": 0.02, ^ \"suction_surface_width\": 0.02 ^ } ^ }"  The following command assumes that the variable RC_VISARD_IP is set to the actual IP of the rc_visard (e.g. $RC_VISARD_IP="10.0.2.90").

Invoke-RestMethod "http://\$RC_VISARD_IP/api/v1/nodes/rc_itempick/services/compute_grasps" -ContentType 'application/json' -Method Put -Body '
{
"args": {
"pose_frame": "camera",
"box": {
"x": 0.285,
"y": 0.37,
"z": 0.22
},
"pose": {
"position": {
"x": 0.1425,
"y": 0,
"z": 0
},
"orientation": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0,
"z": 0,
"w": 1
}
}
},
"suction_surface_length": 0.02,
"suction_surface_width": 0.02
}
}' | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 6